The Return
by fred aholic
Summary: Sequal to 'My Mother, My Aunt' by Fred aholic and Keeperoliver. The children are ready for an exciting first year at Hogwarts but nothing is how they hoped. More secrets of the Golden Ones are revealed, will the others with this bond be found?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the sequal to 'My Mother, My Aunt' and like that story will be writen by Fred Aholic and Keeperoliver. I will be writing the odd numbered chapters and Ollie will be writing the even number chapters.

..

"We are going to miss the train" Lily said as she and Remus took Harry, Hermione and Daniel through the train station.

"There is another twenty minutes until the train leaves" Remus reassured her, she had been panicking all morning, it was only natural. Ahead of them, Hermione, Harry and Daniel were talking about what houses they were going to be in.

"I don't mind which house I am in" Hermione said thoughtfully, she just hoped that she was in a house with at least one of her friends.

"I don't mind either, as long as I am not in Slytherin" Harry said, pulling a face at the word 'Slytherin'.

"I have to be in Gryffindor, I will run away from the school if I get put into a different house" Daniel said with a straight face. They looked behind them when they heard a cough, Hermione and Harry sniggered as Lily and Remus looked at Daniel sternly.

"I was only joking, of course I wouldn't" Daniel said innocently, smiling up at them for a moment. He looked back at Harry and Hermione and grinned, causing them to snigger more.

"Just walk through the wall between platform nine and ten" Remus explained, he walked through first to show them. Daniel was next, followed by Harry and Hermione and lastly, Lily. The three children were in awe when they saw the Hogwarts express, part of them had thought that they were just going to crash into the wall. They said their goodbyes and walked onto the train, it was five minutes to eleven as they looked for a compartment. After a moment, they heard someone call them before they saw Ron running over to them.

"Hey, we have a compartment" he said gesturing to the compartment he had just come out of. In the compartment, Ginny and Nevile were sitting next to each other talking. Hermione sat next to them while Harry and Daniel sat on the opposite side of the compartment with Ron.

"Ok, I have a solution to the house thing" Ron said, everyone looked at him amusedly as they waited for the new idea. Ever since they got their letters, Ron and Daniel had planned lots of different ways to trick the hat.

"The hat is suppose to read your thoughts so all we have to do is think about Gryffindor and about being a Gryffindor then it will have no choice but to put us in Gryffindor" he said triumphantly.

"Don't you think the sorting hat will be smarter than that?" Hermione asked, surely Dumbledore wouldn't have the sorting hat fall for something like that.

"It's only a hat, it will get confused and just put us in Gryffindor" Daniel said, everyone else decided not to say anything, it was obvious that there was going to be an argument.

"What lessons are everyone looking forward to?" Harry asked, eager to change the topic.

This seemed to brighten Hermione up "Transfigurations and Charms sound like they are going to be the best" she said.

"I am going to love Defence Against the Dark Arts" Daniel said enthusiastically, Ron nodded his agreement as they thought of the subject.

"Herbology sounds fun" Nevile said thoughtfully, everyone talked about the lessons except Ginny who was silently looking out the window.

"What about you Ginny, what lesson are you looking forward to?" Harry asked wondering why she was so quiet.

"Not sure, definitely not Potions though" she said, he agreed, after everything they heard about Potions and Professor Snape, they knew that it was going to be the worst lesson.

"Only if there was a way to avoid Potions" Nevile said sadly, he knew he was going to hate it. The conversation carried on like this until the witch with the trolley opened the compartment door.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" she asked, the children quickly stood up and brought some sweets. When she was gone, Ron, Daniel and Ginny began talking about quidditch.

"The Gryffindor house has to win, Oliver Wood is suppose to be a good keeper and Fred and George are the beaters" Ginny said.

"And the Gryffindor team will be even better when we are allowed to try out" Ron said.

"Shame first years don't get brooms, imagine actually being in the Gryffindor quidditch team" Daniel said longingly. Hermione looked like she wanted to tell them that they were not in Gryffindor yet but chose not to.

"I will be right back" Ginny said suddenly, she stood up and walked calmly out of the compartment. Daniel and Ron continued to talk about the quidditch teams while Harry and Hermione looked at each other confused.

"I'm going to check on her" Hermione said before she hurried out of the compartment and followed her.

"Ginny what's wrong, you seemed quiet for the whole journey" Hermione said concerned, she thought the younger girl would be happy, she was going to Hogwarts a year early.

"I was just thinking" she said shrugging, Hermione just looked at her questionably, it wasn't like her to act like this.

She sighed before continuing "what if I am not chosen for Gryffindor, my entire family have been Gryffindors and what if I am not smart enough to be in any house except Hufflepuff because I am a year younger than everyone else" she explained. Hermione understood now, her friend was worried that she wont make her family proud.

"You are a lot smarter than most people your age, I know for a fact that you are smarter than Ron or Daniel and I am sure your family will be happy with whatever house you go into" she said honestly.

Ginny gave a weak smile and hugged her "thanks Hermione, I guess I am worrying about nothing" she said.

"Exactly" Hermione said as she hugged her back, there was no point worrying about something they couldn't control. After a moment, both girls went back to the compartment to see Daniel and Ron in an argument about when their first prank would be. Ginny sat back down by the window and watched the passing fields as Hermione sat next to the compartment door, opposite Harry who was looking at her expectantly. She could tell her was concerned about what was wrong with Ginny so she just smiled reassuringly which seemed to calm him down.

When the train finally stopped, they got of the train and was surprised to see a giant man calling for first years. They followed him to a lake with boats scattered along the edge of the water. It was very dark, even with the lamp the giant man was holding so they all walked slowly down the slight hill towards the lake, afraid that they were going to stumble and actually fall into the lake.

"Grab a boat, four should do it" the man said, Hermione, Nevile, Ginny and Harry went into one boat while Daniel and Ron went into one with two giggling girls. They were taken across the wide lake for what seemed like ages until a large castle was seen ahead of them. Gasps and whispers were heard as people got a better look at it, it was more amazing then any of them were told.

Once they were safely across the lake, they were led into a cave and up a long set of steps which eventually led to the castle. "'irst years Professor" the man said, the Professor gave a sharp nod before the man left.

"This way" she said, she turned around and led them into the castle and to a small room at the corner of the entrance.

"You will wait here until we are ready for you, you can use this time to sort out your appearances" she said looking over them all. Harry pulled his tie up more, a few other students did the same until the Professor walked into a different room.

Hermione and Ginny were trying to smooth their robes while Ron and Daniel were talking in hushed tones.

A few minutes had passed when the Professor walked back into the room "we are ready for you now" she said before turning and walking back out. Everyone followed her into a huge room which must have been the Great Hall, there were long tables of students watching them which made them very nervous.

The Professor stopped in front of the teacher's table and picked up a small stool and a scroll "I will call out your names and you will come up here and put on the hat which will sort you, the houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff" she explained.

"Hannah Abbot" she called, a frightened looking girl with red hair walked slowly up to the stool and sat down before putting on the hat.

"Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted, Hannah smiled as she took off the hat and walked to the cheering table.

"Millicent Bulstrode" the Professor read out, a girl walked out of the group and put the hat on, in a matter of seconds, it shouted Slytherin. The next name called out was Lavender Brown who was the first Gryffindor. It was soon Hermione's turn, she put on the hat but it took a lot longer than everyone else.

Eventually it shouted "Ravenclaw!", Hermione's eyes widened in shock, she didn't think she would go into Ravenclaw. She took off the hat and walked over to the cheering table, she looked back at her friends and noticed that they looked as shocked as she felt, she hoped that she wouldn't be on her own in Ravenclaw.

"Nevile Longbottom" the Professor called, Nevile stumbled up to the stool and put the hat on. It shouted Gryffindor, Nevile beamed as he took the hat off and hurried to the cheering table. A boy named Draco Malfoy was next, Harry didn't know if it was because of all the things he heard about the Malfoys but this boy didn't look very friendly.

Harry was called after a Slytherin named Pansy Parkinson, he put the hat on and was surprised when he heard the hat shout "Ravenclaw". He looked towards the cheering table and saw Hermione smiling at him. The whole table were cheering loudly, he walked over to them and shook people's hands and felt people hitting his back. He knew that he was known because of everything to do with Voldemort but didn't know that people were going to be like this. So many people were talking to him and asking him questions that he couldn't understand half of them. He sat next to Hermione and looked up at the stool once everyone had calmed down.

"Daniel Vanes" the Professor called, Daniel grinned as he walked up to the stool and put the hat on. Harry smiled when he noticed that his cousin seemed to be thinking hard, obviously about Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted, Daniel's grin grew as he looked at Ron and walked to the Gryffindor table. The next person to put the hat on was Ginny, it only took a moment but she looked like she was about to cry when she was put in Ravenclaw. She walked to the Ravenclaw table and sat next to Hermione who looked at her worriedly.

"Ginny, they will still be proud of you" she said quietly so only Ginny could hear, she nodded and smiled up at her.

"I guess, I just thought that I was going to be in Gryffindor" she said sadly, she didn't know how to tell her parents that she was not in Gryffindor, all Weasleys were in Gryffindor. She looked over to the Gryffindor table and saw her brothers looking at her shocked which only made her feel worse. She looked up and watched as Ron put on the hat, he grinned when he was placed in Gryffindor and sat next to Daniel and Nevile. During the feast, Harry, Ginny and Hermione wondered why they were in Ravenclaw. They talked and found themselves talking to Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin who were nice girls.

Once the feast was over, they were taken to the Ravenclaw tower and shown their dorms by the prefects. Harry shared a dorm with Terry Boot, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein. In the girl's dorm, Hermione and Ginny were talking to Lisa, Padma and a girl named Mandy Brocklehurst. They went to sleep thinking that this year was going to be interesting.

In the Gryffindor boy's dorm, Daniel, Ron and Nevile were talking to Dean Thomas who was a huge football fan. Ron and Nevile didn't understand it much but Daniel had heard about it from his Mum. The other boy in their dorm was Dean Thomas who was already asleep, they understood why, everyone was only just awake and were fighting off sleep themselves. They managed to stay awake for thirty minutes before they had to call it a night, each thinking that this year was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

The Return, chapter 2, written by Keeperoliver.

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Once they had got to the Common Room, Hermione and Harry pulled Ginny of to the side to talk to her. Harry did not like this weak Ginny. He was used to the strong vibrant Ginny that he loved. She was always able to bring a laugh to Harry, even in the most serious of moments. The Ginny he was looking at now, was not the Ginny he knew.

"Ginny, what is the matter? You are not one to cringe at a simple thing like a sorting. What has got you so upset?"

"Harry. Hermione, Weasleys have always been in Gryffindor, for as far back as we can remember. My family must be so disappointed in me for failing to keep up the tradition."

Hermione stepped in, "Ginny, does your Mother love you?"

"Of course Hermione. Why would you even ask that?"

"Well then, does your Father love you?"

"Hermione, what are you trying to get at? you know my family loves me. My mom, dad, and brothers. Why are you even asking me this?"

"Because you seem to be forgetting it. They love you. Why would something as silly as a sorting change that. The house you are in is just that, a house, not a home. It is a place to stay while you are away from Home. You were not put here to upset your family, you were put here because you are smart. You like to learn and are very diligent in your studies. Those are Ravenclaw traits, not Gryffindor. It is not saying you aren't brave or adventurous, it is saying you find learning your main objective. Now, why don't you write a letter to your mom, telling her where you were sorted, and that you are with friends. I am sure she will understand, as will your dad."

"Thanks Hermione, Harry for understanding my dilema, and helping me through it. Ya, I think I will write them a letter."

TR-}

Breakfast the next morning had been a bit unnerving to Harry, as he felt several probes to his thoughts. Successfully blocking them, he looked to see who had attempted them. He saw Professor Dumbledore looking at him with curiosity, a raven haired Professor looking at him with concern, and a turbined Professor looking at him with distaste. Around the turbined professor was a black aura, with a gray aura, less prominent. He wondered about that, as it meant two different individuals were fighting for dominance. Who was the second soul, and who was was the real Professor. He asked one of the other students, "Cho, who is that Professor with the turbin?"

'Oh, that would be Professor Quirrell, our DADA Professor. He is kind of creepy, talks like he is scared of his own shadow. I can't understand how he became the DADA instructor. He was the Astronomy instructor last year. Why do you ask, Harry?"

"I don't know, he just keeps looking at me kind of weird is all."

He filed this away for later, for further investigation. He, Hermione and Ginny prepared for their first class, as Professor Flitwick brought around their schedules. Potions first thing with Professor Snape. They would be sharing the class, and all of their classes with Hufflepuff.

They walked down to the dungeons, and found the Potions classroom, with no trouble. They waited, as the door was closed. Soon more students arrived, and the door was opened by The Professor.

Harry sat, with Hermione on one side of him, and Ginny on the other. As the Professor was taking attendence, he came to Harry's name. "So our new celebrity has finally decided to grace us with his presence. Mr. Potter, you will not be given a free ride in my class, just because of your hero status. You will work hard for your grade, and will be marked according to your achievements. Is that understood?"

"Yes Professor."

"Good, now lets get started. As you can see on the board, I have the ingredients for a boil removing potion. Let us see what kind of a class this is going to be. You will work in pairs, and will only talk with your partner. Now begin."

Ginny paired with Harry, and Hermione paired with Michael Corner. By the end of the class, every one had completed their potions, and Professor Snape was impressed by the results. "Well, it looks like I finally found a class that is not filled with Dunderheads. Since you all did so well, their will be no Homework for this evening. Class dismissed."

They had been released 10 minutes early for their next class. Michael had told Hermione thank you for pairing with him, as he was unsure of the reaction of some of the ingredients. She said it was fine, and continued on to her next class with Harry and Ginny. Transfiiguration with Professor McGonagall.

The day went well, with the three getting praises from all of their Professors, except for DADA. It seemed that the Professors distaste spilled over onto the other students, as well as Harry.

After dinner, Harry and the girls headed for the Library, to complete their homework. It took about twenty minutes, as all they had was Transfiguration, and it was really simple. Then Harry brought up his concern for the DADA instructor. "Ginny, Hermione, Did either of you find Professor Quirrell kind of strange. And did either of you see the two distinct auras surrounding him. A small amount of gray being surrounded by a larger amount of black?"

Ginny answered back, "Yes, I did, and I was going to bring it up to you two. He doesn't seem very pleasent, does he?"

"Did you also notice how he is particularly upset with Harry? Why should he be that angry at a person he doesn't even know?" Hermione was in her curious mode.

"I don't know, but at breakfast, I felt three distinct probes, trying to enter my mind. Professor Dumbledore was testing my shields, as was Professor Snape, But Professor Quirrell attacked my mind with force, and was thrown out with just as much violence. That may be why he doesn't like me very well." Harry added.

"It could be, Harry, but I think there is more to Professor Quirrell than meets the eye. Perhaps we should talk to Professor Dumbledore, and let him know of our feelings?"

"I think you are right Hermione. "Ginny put in, "We need to let him know, before we go any further, in case something happens."

So they headed for the Headmasters office, and the gargoyle styanding guard there, moved out of the way, as soon as they approached. Harry was curious about that. Can't be much of a guard, if he lets people just walk right up and enter with out questioning them.

They climbed the steps, and the door opened as they approached it. Again Harry questioned the security of the Headmasters office.

As they entered the office, Professor had them all sit. "Well it is not often that I have students visit me after the first day of class, but I am happy for the chance to talk with you."

Harry was about to say something, when Hermione shouted out, "STUPIFY!"

Harry looked at her, as she got up, and reached down to pick up a rat by his tail.

All three looked at the rat, and knew immediately, what it was.

Hermione conjured up a cage, and placed the rat in it, with a secured charm, that prevented the rat from changing, and escaping.

Harry thought on it for a minute, and knew what was going on. Professor Dumbledore saw Harry looking contemplative, and asked. "Harry, is something bothering you? As big as Hogwarts is, it is hard to keep down the vermin, as much as we would like to."

"That's not it Professor. This particular rat is not just any rat, but an Animagus. Peter Pettigrew to be exact. If you will notice, he is missing a patches of hair all over his body. That was because of a prank that Sirius pulled on him back in their fouth year. He was the secret keeper for my parents, and is the cause of my father's death. I think he is in league with another person in the school, trying to gather information. I also think I know who the other individual is. Professor Quirrell."

"Harry, that is quite a drastic charge you are making about a Professor, can you tell me why you would be making it?"

"Yes sir, this morning, I felt the attempts to probe my mind by you and Professor Snape, testing my shields, but, I also felt someone attacking my shield with force, and threw him out with the same force he tried to attack me with. Professor Quirrell was that other Person, and he was quite upset with me for that, and did not mind letting me know in class today."

"I see. And that is why you are here this evening, to tell me this?"

Ginny answered this, "Yes sir, as we all saw the same thing as Harry. He had a dual Aura. A small gray one, surrouding a larger black one. I know you are familiar with auras. The black one being dominant, show the evil intent this person has. There are two souls hidden inside of Professor Quirrell, and the evil one is taking over."

"And Miss Granger, what alerted you to this rat being in my office?"

"I saw a black aura coming from a corner, and then saw the rat trying to escape. I stunned him to prevent this."

"Excellent, all three of you are becoming quite the team. I believe that you being chosen as the golden ones was the correct choice. I want you all to know that I was aware of of Professor Quirrell's dual aura, and was trying to figure out what his game was. I felt the best way to keep an eye on him, was to keep him near to watch him. I have Professor Snape keeping a close eye on him. Do you have any thoughts on how we could force his hand?"

Hermione was in in her brilliance mode, "Yes sir, I do. Suppose we give him something to go after. Something so powerful, he couldn't pass it up. But we have to protect it, to make sure he knows of it's importance. If we could get him to after this, he would be tipping his hand, and giving us cause to capture him."

"You three are amazing me with your constant ability to come up with these brilliant ideas. How do we let him know about this item you speak of?"

"Well, that is your part of the plan Professor. We just come up with the map, you have to figure the best route." Harry stated. "But what are we going to do with this rat? I know a certain Dog and Wolf who would like to get their hands on him."

"Yes, I am sure you do, however, I don't think that would be a good idea, as he could prove to be useful. For right now, I believe he needs to be kept in a secure place with no hope of escaping. Fawkes, would you mind playing guard to this poor creature. I fear he may become lonesome, if left alone too long?"

Fawkes gave a soft sounding shrill, which probably only Albus knew what it meant.

"Thank you my friend." And Peter was now sleeping at the bottom of Fawkes cage, with Fawkes sitting on the top, peering down inside of it looking menacing.

"Now, is there anything else I can do for you? It is quite late, and I don't want you to get into any trouble with Mr. Filch."

"I think that's it for now Professor Dumbledore. We should probably heading for our common room. Oh, would you please find out how Mr. and Mrs. Weasley feel about Ginny's sorting. She was worried about that last night, and I don't think she slept too well."

"I forgot to tell you, in all the other thoughts we were having. Molly flooed me this morning, and told me to tell Ginny that her being in Ravenclaw was absolutely Brilliant. She would have figured that Percy would have been the one to break the tradition. She told me to tell you that her and Arthur are very proud of you."

It looked like a 100 lb. weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Ginny thanked the Professor, and the three left, to return to their common room.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Ginny felt a lot better about being in Ravenclaw, something that could be seen easily by Harry and Hermione and they were glad. Hermione and Ginny went down to the Ravenclaw common room after a peaceful night. They smiled when they saw Harry sitting in the corner, reading, he looked like he was too wrapped up in his book to notice anything. Hermione looked at Ginny for a moment before they both giggled and walked over to him.

"Morning Harry" Hermione said as she and Ginny sat next to him. Harry continued to look down at his book, smiling when he felt them sit down.

"You two seem happy this morning" he observed, raising an eyebrow as he looked up at them.

"Of course we are, we got the rat" Ginny said, saying 'rat' with distaste before continuing.

"And whatever Professor Qurill is up to might have something to do with a Horcrux, how can we not be happy" she said. Harry nodded to himself as he closed the book he was reading and placed it on his lap.

"Yes but what if he doesn't take the bait?" he asked, meaning what Dumbledore was going to use for Professor Quirrel.

"Harry, you need to have more faith in Professor Dumbledore, we have known him for years, he can do this" Hermione said. Ginny agreed, Dumbledore had been training them for as long as she could remember, if he set his mind, he could do nearly anything.

Harry nodded "I suppose your right" he said, he stood up and looked back at them expectantly.

"We should go to breakfast" he said, Hermione and Ginny stood up and followed him out of the common room, wondering what Dumbledore would use. They entered the Great Hall and walked over to the Ravenclaw table, laughing when they saw Ron and Daniel waving enthusiastically at them. They sat down and piled the food on their plates, Harry could feel Dumbledore watching them.

He looked up when he heard Hermione's breath hitch and notice that she was looking at Professor Quirral. He looked at the Professor and was shocked to see that the black aurora had grown.

"This isn't good, we will have to tell Dumbledore" Ginny said, trying her hardest to look away from the aurora that seemed to pulse with power.

"Here are your new time tables" said a voice, they looked up and saw Professor Sprout smiling at them, handing them cards. Dumbledore had given them different time tables to everyone else for obvious reasons. They had the same lessons as everyone else except four lessons that would be spent with Dumbledore.

"Thank you Professor" Hermione said before the three scanned over the cards. They had to go to Dumbledore's office for their first lesson, Harry thought that would be the perfect time to tell him about Quirral.

"Great,only a few of our lessons are going to be away from the other first years, that can give us the chance to look for others with this bond" Ginny said brightly. Harry smiled at her, he was glad she was feeling better, he didn't think about the others being in their year. Although, Ron, Daniel and Nevile were in their year so it wouldn't be strange if someone else was.

After breakfast, they left the Great Hall in silence, not wanting to talk about anything in detail until they were on their own. They stopped when they heard a voice, turning around, they saw Ron, Daniel and Nevile run over to them.

"Hey guys, we noticed that you got another time table, what normal lessons are you missing?" Ron asked. Harry looked over his time table again and nodded "we have four lessons that will be spent with Dumbledore" he said.

Daniel grinned "briliant, we better get to potions, see you later cuz" he said before he, Ron and Nevile left. Harry, Hermione and Ginny walked up the Grand Staircase to Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, hello, we will start in here and then we will go into the forest" Dumbledore said when he noticed them walk up to his office. They entered the office when Harry remembered what they had to say to Dumbledore.

"Sir, at breakfast, Professor Quirral, the black aurora around him had grown" he said.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment "He is becoming more powerful, if my theory is correct then soon, that small gray aura will be gone" he said sadly.

"Sir, have you figured out what to use yet?" Hermione asked as she and Ginny stroked Faux who seemed to love the attention.

Dumbledore smiled "yes, I have found just the thing, however, I can not speak of it yet" he said. He had sent Hagrid to the bank in diagon alley but did not want to tell them until he was sure that everything was going well.

"Well, that is enough talking, we will need to prepare" Dumbledore said, he walked over to his desk and looked through his draw.

"This way then" he said happily as he walked out of the office, Harry, Ginny and Hermione following him. They quietly walked out onto the grounds and towards the forbidden forest, making sure that no student saw them. They were a mile into the trees when Dumbledore finally stopped.

"For your first lesson, there are four objects hidden here, each will have a grey aurora, one will be darker then the rest, you need to bring that one to me" he instructed. The three turned into their animagus forms and waited for him to finish.

"Professor Mcgonagall and Professor Sprout have set obstacles in the trees, be prepared for anything, you have one hour, you may go" he said. Harry climbed onto Ginny's back as the three ran through the forest.

It had been nine minutes before Harry heard something "did you here that?" he asked, Ginny nodded as they ran to where the noise was. Hermione flew above them, looking through the trees.

"There!" Harry called when he saw a faded grey which seemed to surround a small wooden box. Hermione turned back into her human form, she walked up to the box but was stopped by a sudden hit to her side that knocked her against a tree. She groaned as she tried to sit up, she felt Harry and Ginny at her side in their human forms a moment later.

"Hermione, are you ok?" Harry asked as he and Ginny helped her to her feet, she nodded, trying to see what hit her.

"I'm fine, just caught off guard, what was that?" she asked, standing up and rubbing her head.

"It looks like one of Professor Sprout's obstacles" Ginny said, studying the plant vine that came out of nowhere.

"Be careful Ginny" Harry said, he didn't want that thing to hurt someone else but Ginny just waved it off.

"I am just going to burn it" she said, changing into her animagus form, she huffed in annoyance when Harry stopped her.

"You cant just burn it when we don't know what it is" he said, standing in front of her so she couldn't burn it. She shook her head in disagreement and took a deep breath in.

"Ginny, Harry's right, we need to know what it is first" Hermione said as she walked to where they were. Ginny looked between the two and rolled her eyes before she turned back into her human form.

"Fine but I still think I should burn it" she said, Harry and Hermione watched her amusedly before they turned to the plant. Hermione examined it for a moment, she knew she had read about it before but where, she gasped.

"It's Devil's Snare" she said, quickly taking a few steps back, away from the deadly plant.

Ginny grinned "ha, we need fire, I knew it" she said triumphantly before she turned back into her animagus form. She took a deep breath in before releasing her fiendfyre, it surrounded the plant before closing in on it. After a moment, the plant began to shrivel until it was covered with the fire, effectively killing it. Hermione rushed to the box and opened it, inside was a simple blank book.

"Three more objects, come on" Harry said as he climbed back onto Ginny's back, she clomped her front feet before she ran through the trees. Hermione changed back into her form and flew in the opposite way, hoping to get more ground covered.

It had been twenty minutes when Hermione finally found another aurora, this one seemed to be darker then the last. "Harry, Ginny!" she called, a second later, they were at her side, looking at the aurora. Harry walked forward and picked up the large owl feather, he looked around and was surprised to see that nothing had happened.

"Maybe Dumbledore is being nice" he said, shrugging when everything remained calm and quiet.

"Let's just get out of here in case" Hermione suggested, looking around nervously. Harry walked back to them and showed them the locket.

"The book seems to have a darker aurora" Hermione said before they turned back into their animagus forms, in search of the other objects.

.

Dumbledore looked at the clock at the front of the school, shaking his head. It had been fifty-five minutes and there was no sign of them. He thought that he must have expected too much of them too soon when he heard footsteps.

"Come on, we don't have that long left" came Hermione's voice before the three were seen rushing out of the forest.

"Five minutes to spare, have you got the darkest object?" Dumbledore asked, maybe they were further along then he thought.

"Yes Sir, out of the book, owl feather, brass key and teddy bear, the one with the darkest shade of grey aurora is the teddy bear" Hermione said as she passed it to him.

"Excellent, now if I am correct, you have Herbology in five minutes, you best go now" Dumbledore said as he took the objects from them and let them leave.

"We have Herbology with the Gryffindors" Harry said happily as they walked to the green house, wondering what Ron and Daniel had planed. Ginny grinned as she thought of it while Hermione just shook her head.

"Come on, we should hurry" Hermione said before they rushed to the green house, eager for the lesson.


	4. Chapter 4

Ron and Daniel were waiting to hear from Fred and George. They had asked them if they would like to reform the Marauders. Fred and George were interested, but they didn't know if Ron and Daniel were made of the right stuff. They had to prove themselves to the twins. They were waiting to hear what it was the twins wanted them to do.

Fred came over to them after about 15 minutes of consultation with George. "Alright, we agree with you to become the Marauders, but in order to prove yourselves, you have to prank a Professor. It doesn't matter which one, but it has to be in front of the whole school, during a meal."

Ron and Daniel high-fived each other, feeling this was the start of something big.

They already had plans to prank a Professor, but which one did they want to do it to. It would seem, that the more prominent the Professor, the more likely the chance was for failure. But that didn't deter the two. They made their decision, and got started to set it in motion.

TR-}

Hermione was waiting for her two companions in the common room, when an owl came pecking at the window. This was unusual, as they would be down in the Great Hall in 10 minutes, where the owl post was usually made. She took the letter from the owl, and gave him a cracker that she had been snacking on. The owl took it, and ate it, and then left.

The letter was addressed to all three of them, and was from Albus. She opened it and read:

Harry-Ginny-Heremione

I have a mission for you that is of utmost importance. Please join me after breakfast in my office.

Albus

Excellent, she thought, we get to test ourselves against something real this time. I wonder what it could be. {Come on you two, what could be keeping them. As if on cue, Harry and Ginny made their appearence together. How do they do that? They seem to know when the other is ready, without the mind link. Excellent, something else to research.} She thought.

'Hermione, it is just coinsidence. It is more. Don't over react to what happens between Ginny and I.' Harry told her in her mind.

"Hey guys, I was hoping you would hurry up, Professor Dumbledore wants to see us after breakfast. He has a mission for us. And for your information Harry, You two seem to always show up together, when I am waiting for you. How do you explain that?"

Ginny answered, "I don't know about Harry, but I can feel when he is ready to leave, and just leave at the same time. It's not really coinsidence like Harry explained."

"Alright, I can accept that, but why can't I feel it also?"

"Maybe it's because you are always ready to leave when you are finished what you are doing, as if you were in a hurry?" Harry replied.

"I guess. Come let's go eat, so we can find out what it is the Professor wants us to do." Hermione said, as they walked out of the Ravenclaw Common Room.

After they ate, they walked up to Professor Dumbledore's office. As they approached the statue of the Gargoyle, it moved of their way, to allow them to climb the staircase behind it. As they got to the door, it opened for them to enter.

Albus was seated in his overstuffed chair, looking over some paper work sitting in front odf him. He looked up, as they entered, and had them sit, while he continued to look at the paper work. He finished, and pushed the papers off to the side. "Good morning you three, I hope you all slept alright. Are you ready to test your skills against something real this morning?"

"Yes sir, I feel we are ready. We still get a little rambunctious at times, but between the three of us, we are able to get through most problems. We also believe that we have yet to figure out all of our powers. I am sure that Hermione is on the verge of discovering one. Professor, are we what you would call elementals. I mean Ginny can control fire, and I can control water. Does Hermione have control of an element also, and does that make us Elementals?" Harry wondered.

"Yes, I believe you all are Harry, and with this admission, you have opened up a whole knew dimension to your poweres. You are the water elemental, and Ginny is the fire elemental. Hermione is the wind elemental. Now all you have to do, is find the earth elemental. It is vital that you discover who that is, to complete your strength. When you have found this fourth individual, and have properly trained together, you will become an elite group, and a practically unstoppable force. However, that is for another time. Right now, we have a problem that needs to be taken care of immediately. My sources tell me that a large numbers of death eaters has gathered for a resurgence effort, to prepare for an upcoming event. I don't know what that event is, but I am sure it has to do with what Professor Quirrell is doing. We need to stop this group of death eaters from accomplishing what ever it is that they are planning. Do you feel you are ready for this size of an assignment?"

Hermione insisted, "Professor, we have been training for four years now, and have completed 90% of the tasks you have set forth on us. In the past year, we have completed 100% of these tasks. I know we don't know the full extent of our powers, but those that we do know, we have full control of. I think we are ready, don't you guys?"

Harry and and Ginny nodded their heads in agreement.

"Very good, then let me explain the situation. You remember where we found Gaunt's ring, in Little Hangelton? Well, Riddle Manor is also there, and that is where the death eaters are gathering. Exact numbers are unknown, but a rough estimate would be around 50. Aurors have noticed this activity, but can not do anything, because of the wards surrounding the Manor. These wards, though strong, should prove no problem to you three, but you must enter so as not to alert the gathered death eaters. We need to capture as many as we can, if not all of them. Do you wish to try your hand at this?"

"Yes!" was the reply from all of them.

TR-}

Neville was having difficulty fitting in with his classmates. He was different then the rest of them. He was alright with Ron and Daniel, but Seamus and Dean constantly badgered him about his lack of self esteem. Neville had been asked by the Golden Ones to hide his new found confidence and his new wand. Not even Professor Dumbledore knew of the wand. Only he, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Lily and Remus knew.

He was in Herbology Class at the moment, replanting shoots of af some special plants for Professor Sprout. She liked this gentle young man, and was astounded by his knowledge of the subject she taught. He was far and away, the best student she had ever seen on this subject. She watched, as he worked the earth with his hands, and was taken back, as he seemed to glow, as he worked. The plants he worked with seemed to grow, as he left them when completed. He was humming a tune as he worked, and it looked like the plants were responding to his humming. Albus had to know what she was witnessing.

Since it was Saturday, she new Neville would be out here all day, except for meals. "Neville, I will return shortly, as I have to speak to Professor Dumbledore. I should return shortly. You need to take a break, and restore your body fluids, as you are sweating up a storm. We don't need you getting sick now do we."

"Alright Professor, as soon as setting this plant, I will take a break. I'll be alright until you get back."

"Thank you for your help, Neville, this morning. I probably would have been working long into the night, without it."

"You're welcome Professor."

As Pamona got to Albus' office, she wondered about the strange young man down in her greenhouse. He was so quiet and unassuming. You wouldn't even know he was in your class, if you didn't see him.

Albus heard the alarm that told him someone was approaching his office, and Armando told him it was Sprout. He called Pamona's name to enter.

'How does he do that. I don't think anyone could sneek up on that man.'

Pamona entered his office and took a seat across from him. 'I think he makes these chairs uncomfortable on purpose, just to put people in a nervous state when they talk to him' she thought.

"Albus, I need to tell you about one of our students, and his unique ability with plants."

Albus suddenly sat up at this statement, "And who might that be, Pamona? I assume that this is beyond normal capabilities?"

"Oh yes it is Albus. Neville Longbottom has the ability to work miracles with the plants. He glows while working the earth, he hums to the plants, and they start to grow once he has completed his work on them. As he walks through the aisles, the plants seem to turn towards him as he passes. I don't think he is even aware of this fact. It's not like he controls them, it is more like respect from the plants towards him. He even talks to the young sprouts, encouraging them to be stronger."

"You say he glpows as he works the earth? What color is this glow?"

"Sort of like a mix of brown and green, really light though. Easy on the eyes. Makes you feel calm inside. Nice and warm and cozy. Urggh, did I say that out loud."

Albus chuckled, "I'm afraid so, Pomona. And you say he doen't realize, he is doing all this, while working? I think I need to talk to young Mr. Longbottom. Please don't mention this to anyone Pomona, it might embarrass him too much."

"Of course Albus, now if you will excuse me, I need to get back as he is still down there working. It can get quite stuffy down there in the green house."

TR-}

The three had arriced at Riddle Manor. They took up positions at different locations, using their mind link. 'Hermione, do you see anyone on the grounds, like guards or workers, or even animals for that matter?"

"Not a soul Harry. Not even a mouse. Almost too easy, don't you think? It's as if they wanted someone to find them."

"You know, I feel something, that is not quite right." Ginny added.

"You're right Gin, I feel it too. Like they are expecting us to do this. Hermione, please return to us, as I have a very sneaking suspicion about this. You too Ginny, I think we need to re adjust our plan."

When they were all together, Hermione opened up her mind, to let her friends see what she saw, to include any auras that may have been present. There were the common wards that surrounded the Manor, but with one more that they did not recognize right away. This was the one that worried Harry. It was a rust colored ward, that he was unfamiliar with. He went over the wards he knew once more, and still nothing about this new one. He was unwilling to take a chance to attack, with out the answer to this ward. He would return later, with the girls, after talking to Professor Dumbledore. Both girls thought this the best choice, as they didn't want to al;ert the death eaters to their presence. They all returned to Hogwarts, and to Professor Dumbledore's office.

Albus was surprised to see them so soon, but congratulated them on their decision. To venture into the unknown, unprepared was to take on unnecessary chances. He also was unfamiliar with this new ward, and wondered as to the nature of it, and then it hit him. He was ready to call upon this students unique abilities, as Pamona called them. He sent Fawkes with a message to Pamona, and soon, Neville was in his office.

"Mr. Longbottom, I have sent these three on a mission, and they ran up against a problem, that I think only you can solve. You may not believe what I am about to tell you, but it is true. I believe that you are the fourth piece to our puzzle. Let me explain something to you right quick, as we haven't much time. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione are elementals. Harry is water, Hermione is air, and Ginny is Fire. I believe you are the fourth, being earth. We are faced with a problem and we need your expertise in eliminating it. There is a building that is currently housing about fifty death eaters. it is protected by wards, but one of the wards, they do not recognise. It at first baffled me, as I have a good knowledge of wards. But as I heard Harry, Ginny, and Hermione identify the wards, each one had one the others did not. One was the Fire Identification ward, one was the wind protection ward, and one was the water protection ward. The rust colored ward, or earth tone colored ward was for ground protection. That was why you couldn't recognize it, because it is an elemental ward, subject to the elemental you control. That was why the death eaters were so confident with their protection, they felt that being that elementals are so rare, especially all four, that there was no worry about using guards. Besides, by placing guards, you are sending a message that this was a place that needed to be examined. No guards, no worries about being watched."

"Are you sure about this Professor? I mean, I don't feel special. I love working with plants, and getting my hands dirty, but being able to control the earth, and plants. I don't think you have the right person."

"I want you all to come with me for a walk, and we will find out." Albus touch a lever on the fireplace, that none of them ever saw before, and a set of stairs became visable. The decended the stairs, and what looked like a solid wall. Like the wall to Diagon Alley. Albus touched a pattern on the wall, and it opened up to allopw the five to depart the castle.

Albus led them tho the edge of the forest. "Neville, I want you to concentrate on this sapling, and wish it to grow."

Instinctively, Neville got down on the ground, and dug his fingers into the earth, and reached out with his mind for the roots of the sapling, wishing them to grow strong. He found the roots, and fed them his magic. The sapling became a young tree within minutes. What was once a 3/4 inch sapling, was now a three inch tree, that stood about ten feet tall. Not only did the tree grow, but the plant life around the tree also grew, like the foot wide mushroom, or the grass that was 18 inches high. Neville didn't seem surprised at this. He felt there was something special with his Love for plants and the earth. He was just afarid that people would think him weird. Now, he felt like part of a team. He needed to train with them more than he did during the summer, as he knew he would become a member of the Golden Ones, but not this soon. What he didn't knoww was that he had just become a member of the inner circle. The Elite Four.

With Neville with them, along with Albus this time, they returned to Riddle Manor, and this time, with Neville's help, they were able to indentify the last ward. With the other wards taken down with out warning the people in the building, they went about with the last four. Harry looked at his, and found that since people are 70% water, the ward detected any life form that presented more than thirty %. Harry was able to counter that, by releasing all the fluids in his body, and watch it slipp under the shield, and he walked through the shield, un detected. Once on the other side, he retrieved the body fluids he had released.

Hermione found that the wind ward was set, so that anything stronger than a 10 mile an hour wind would be stopped from entering the wards. Although it seemed silly as a ward, on it's own, when paired with the other elemental wards, it was quite effecient in stopping unwanted guests, and ridding them of the remains. Hermione simply removed this ward, and waited for Ginny and Neville to remove their wards. She knew one ward had to remain in place, so as not to set off the alarm that the Manor was without wards, and since Harry thought his was the easiest to surpass, he left his up.

Ginny felt that the fire ward was set up to warn the inhabitants of the Manor of a breech in the ward if a creature with a body temperature of more than 0 degrees celsius tried to get through. Ginny was able to bypass this ward by raising the limit to 100 degrees celsius.

Finally, Neville checked his ward, and much to his surprise, he found that his ward was set so that anything that weighed more than 1 stone, would set off the sensor. When Harry had dispersed all of his body fluids, his body weight had dropped to less than 3/4 stones. Neville just modified the setting to 100 stones.

Harry then removed the fluids form his friends bodies, allowing them to come through, one at a time, and returning their fluids back to their body. They had to be quick with this, as with no fluids, their bodies were quite brittle and fragile. Once everyoner was through, they continued on to the Manor.

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione sensed the auras of 48 different people in the Manor, and set up their own anti-apparation wards, anti floo wards and anti portkey wards. They then went to different entries to the building, and with a mind link, they enetered the Manor with their wands firing at their objectives firmly set, and soon, all 48 death eaters were captured. Albus called in the aurors he had set on stand by, and they were able to transport all of them to a holding cell under the Ministry. Before they left, they congratulated the team that had captured these 48 terrorists. Among the 48, were Crabbe Sr. and Goyle Sr. Alecto and Amycus Carrow, and Fenrir Grayback, the werewolf. Remus will be glad to hear this.

When they returned to Hogwarts, Minerva had told them that Professor Quirrell had, for no apparent reason, cancelled all of his classes for the day, and left the school grounds headed for parts unknown.

It would seem that he had unexpectedly turned purple with a bad case of acne, that had a tendency to pop and spray puss every where. Neville said it sounded like a Mimbus Mimbletonia, what ever the heck that was.

But from that point on, Neville had become a member of the Golden ones Elite four, the Elementals. Albus also asked the sorting hat for a resorting of Neville, which the hat fought for about ten minutes, but finally caved in, and resorted Neville into Ravenclaw house.

With eight of the Golden ones accounted for, their were four left to find.


End file.
